This invention relates generally to lamp mounting systems and more particularly, to adjustable lamp mounting systems for vehicles.
Headlamps for moving vehicles generally consist of a housing which contains an illumination source and a lens or substantially transparent covering protecting the illumination source. Particularly with respect to add-on lighting elements, the headlamp housing must be mounted to the vehicle through a mounting system that provides some adjustability of the lamp with respect to the mounting surface on the vehicle. FIGS. 1a-1c show a prior art system of providing a headlamp housing with an adjustable mounting member. Specifically, lamp housing 35 includes a mounting bracket 20 affixed to the lamp housing adjacent mounting area 34. Mounting bracket 20 is affixed to the lamp housing 35 by fixation members extending through apertures 24a, 24b, and 24c. Typically, such fixation members are rivets. A mounting stud 12 is disposed within mounting bracket slot 22 and includes an enlarged head 14, an intermediate portion 16 defining a guiding surface and a threaded shaft 18. The enlarged head 14 is sized to engage concave bearing surface 26 of the mounting bracket 20. The intermediate portion 16 is substantially square and has sufficient size to prevent rotation of the mounting stud 12 within slot 22, whereby adjustment of the lamp housing 35 relative to a mounting surface of a vehicle is limited to rotation about a single axis.
To maintain mounting stud 12 within slot 22, a cup washer 28 having an aperture 30 corresponding to the guiding surface of intermediate portion 16 of stud 12 is placed with the aperture 30 adjacent the intermediate portion 16. With enlarged head 14 engaging bearing surface 26, the intermediate portion 16 is deformed to create a retaining lip 32 (FIG. 1c). The combination of the enlarged head 14 and retaining lip 32 maintains the guiding surface of intermediate portion 16 within slot 22. The mechanical deformation of the intermediate portion 16 adjacent the cup washer 28 to form retaining lip 32 is commonly referred to as "staking" the mounting stud 12 within the mounting bracket 20.
As shown in FIG. 1c, the distance 36 between the lamp housing mounting area 34 and head 14 is greater than the height 38 of intermediate portion 16. Thus, without retaining lip 32 or tension applied to mounting stud 12 by a nut (not shown), the intermediate portion 16 may disengage slot 22 and allow rotation of the lamp housing 35 about the mounting stud longitudinal axis. After completion of the mechanical attachment of the mounting stud 12, the mounting bracket 20 may then be attached to the lamp housing 35.
While the foregoing prior art lamp mounting technique has been well received, there remains a need for a lamp mounting assembly which provides the desired adjustability feature, yet is less complicated to manufacture. For example, it would be preferable from a manufacturing standpoint to fabricate a lamp assembly which does not include the lamp mounting step of staking the mounting bolt within the mounting bracket.